About

Linkitz: Smart, code-able friendship bracelets

$100,687

pledged of $95,000 goal

686

backers

We set out to make a smart friendship bracelet that let kids greet their friends with sparkling lights and sound. That led us to develop Linkitz, a new way for girls to explore technology. It's a set of electronic links that snap together in different combinations to make unique, fun, wearable toys.

What can you do with Linkitz?

Make a friendship bracelet that lights up to let you know that your friends are nearby.

Make it light up in different colors for your best friend or your team.

Use it to send secret coded messages!

Add sound effects to games and alerts.

Use the microphone and speaker to make a walkie talkie.

Use the motion link to play a game like Simon or Bop It.

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See how the LED link works

Linkitz comes in a kit with a set of links and accessories. Each link offers a unique capability. There are sensors, like a microphone and an accelerometer, and outputs, like a speaker and lights.

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By assembling links and using them in different combinations, we want a generation of young girls to grow up seeing technology as a tool that they can use to create things, rather than something they passively consume.

Linkitz is the first wearable that girls can customize by using a simple, pictorial programming language. With Linkitz, imagination is a girl’s only limit!

Linkitz engages girls with technology and programming concepts on their own terms. They get a set of powerful, age-appropriate tools and the support to make something great. The awesome things links do out of the box are only the beginning!

Our toy encourages exploration: “If I move it, it makes this sound – what if I wave my arm? What if I tap it?” “What happens to the lights if I move this way? Can I make it do other colors?” Girls can customize it by changing the combination of links, by swapping in code snippets from our app, or by creating something all their own!

Girls start losing interest in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) as early as age eight!

Girls need toys that emphasize spatial skills, problem solving and confidence with technology. Educators and developmental psychologists agree that STEM interest should be nurtured from a young age, when early experiences shape lives.

Linkitz combines hardware, code, design, and wearability to build a life-long love of STEM through freedom of play and exploration. Linkitz empowers girls to explore technology and build endless amazing creations.

Linkitz believes that by encouraging girls as young as four to play with technology today, we can inspire a future generation of women excelling and innovating in STEM fields.

To make a wearable, select the links, click them together...

Pop them into an accessory...

And go play!

Girls can mix and match links to explore the out-of-the-box functionality, or they can check out our Cookbook for fresh inspiration.

Because Linkitz is modular, there will be many more links coming in the future, to expand play options and educational value.

The Linkitz App

We are working with experts in kids' and educational software development to implement an intuitive and easy-to-use experience. The app will help curious girls see, hear and experience how changes they make to the code affect the behavior of their toys.

The Linkitz app will empower kids of any age to make Linkitz their own. Our picture-based programming environment is built on the same platform as Scratch. Girls as young as 4 will be able to make changes using simple drag-and-drop actions. More advanced users will be able to peel back the picture layer and use Scratch to make bigger changes and even create their own games. The Linkitz app is under development and will be released with the toy, but here is a sneak peek at the pictorial interface.

Design concept for Linkitz app

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In 2012, the conversation around how to engage girls in tech was beginning and Linkitz was ignited by the idea of combining tech with an activity that many girls already love - making friendship bracelets! From this "spark" we developed the idea of a kit that contains little electronic “links” that girls can put together and customize.

It took a year to design a set of links that were both fun and had interesting behavior. There was also the challenge of fitting electronics into these very small links in a way that would stand up to being assembled and rearranged, but still be easy for little girls to put together.

Next, we applied for and were accepted to Haxlr8r, a hardware accelerator in Shenzhen, China. We spent almost four months there learning about manufacturing electronics and plastics, meeting with a certification lab, and continuing to refine the product. Our design went through many iterations. We tested it with lots of girls to make sure that we were making something that girls would have fun playing with and would be proud to wear.

The Evolution of Linkitz

Now we have everything in place to deliver Linkitz to the world, and we're ready to go! We want to start producing the toy we've designed and deliver it to backers. Our Kickstarter funds will help us complete tooling, production, and our app, to give girls a toy they’ll really love! And that's where you come in!

Do you have a daughter, a granddaughter, a niece, a sister, a cousin, or a friend with imagination and spirit? Do you know a girl who dreams of building a spaceship, a robot sidekick, an invisibility cloak or an elevator to the moon? Maybe you were one of those girls! Help us inspire girls to create great things, by bringing Linkitz to life!

Every contribution matters, no matter the amount. By supporting us and sharing our campaign with your friends, you'll help bring Linkitz to life and inspire girls everywhere!

Check out the awesome design on our t-shirt! It celebrates the superpower within every girl!

Risks and challenges

We are excited to be breaking ground as the first-of-its-kind, make-your-own wearables kit for kids!

We have worked tirelessly on the design and prototypes and have developed realistic milestones that will have little girls rocking Linkitz all over the globe by next December.

As with any hardware product, there may be challenges with suppliers, manufacturing, production, certification, or shipping. Thanks to Haxlr8r’s extensive network, we have a head start on overcoming those problems and we are working with toy industry veterans who know how to make and deliver toys (just like Santa's elves!) We are committed to making Linkitz a fantastic experience for you and we’ll promise to keep you informed of our progress with regular updates.

Support

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Pledge US$ 5 or more
About US$ 5

HALL OF FAME
Like what we’re doing? Help us inspire girls and ignite their STEM passion. With this pledge, we’ll place your name on our Kickstarter supporters’ page and keep you up-to-date on all our progress and exciting news!

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge US$ 50 or more
About US$ 50

***EARLY BIRD***
GET THE TOY! LINKITZ STARTER SET

You're an early adopter. You can't wait to try our cool new toy. You'll be the first in the world to make and customize your very own wearable Linkitz. Pack includes one programmable core, one motion link, two LED links, a USB cable for charging and programming and a wristband.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge US$ 60 or more
About US$ 60

GET THE TOY! LINKITZ STARTER SET

Special Kickstarter offer. Be among the first in the world to make and customize your very own wearable Linkitz. Pack includes one programmable core, one motion link, two LED links, a USB cable for charging and programming and a wristband.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge US$ 10,000
About US$ 10,000

THE ULTIMATE TOYMAKER EXPERIENCE
Get a Linkitz set with all the current links, and membership in an exclusive beta tester program for all future links. Plus: the toymaker will spend a day with the Linkitz team (economy-class air travel within Continental USA/Canada for one included). Explore our workspace in Toronto. Be a toy designer for the day: work with the team to design a new link, give your feedback, and imagine new ways to interact with Linkitz. Enjoy dinner with the team at the top of the CN Tower and receive an exclusive "Linkitz Official Toy Maker" T-shirt.

One toymaker per award. Child under 16 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian (responsible for own airfare).